


Recovery

by Rin_chan32



Category: Houseki no Kuni
Genre: Affairs, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, F/F, Human AU, M/M, No Incest, OOC, Sibling Rivalry, Twins, s2 when
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-06-27 11:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15684204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rin_chan32/pseuds/Rin_chan32
Summary: Ghost Quartz and Lapis Lazuli get into a relationship, and Cairngorm gets jealous that their sibling gets into a relationship with the one that they love. Jealous drives them to try to persuade the other to try to get into a romantic relationship with Lapis, but can they achieve it with anyone knowing?





	1. Prolouge

Rain poured down from the sky heavily as thunder rumbled across from overhead, a blanket of dark clouds hovering over the funeral center. The room was dead silent as someone stood behind the podium and spoke, the portrait of Lapis Lazuli between the speaker and an open casket. Cairngorm started at the picture, their grey-ish eyes focusing on their smile and their once happy face. They were entranced by each of the blue strands of hair that moved, each gold spec in their hair shining in the picture of them. _’why couldn’t they be like that now?’_  Cairngorm thought with a sigh, looking at the tile below their feet for a bit and they closed their eyes.

 

“It’s my fault they’re like this…” they muttered, keeping their voice as quiet as they could so no one could hear them think out loud. Cairngorm opened their eyes and moved their head to look at their twin, biting their lip as they saw how much of a mess they were.

 

Ghost Quartz— their almost identical twin— was shaking violently as they hid their wet face in their hands, small drops of tears falling from each finger as they cried. Cairngorm watched them cry before they sat up, leaning closer to them and wrapping an arm of comfort around the other, looking down at the ground as they felt their head rest on their shoulder.

 

It wasn’t that much longer before everyone was able to say goodbye to Lapis’ body before they closed the casket, and unfortunately Cairngorm and Ghost were the first ones up..

 

They younger sibling followed the other silently, looking at the floor as they tried to let the older one say what they wanted to say to their lover. It was good long until Ghost cupped their still face before walking away, allowing Cairngorm to go up to the open part of the casket.

 

Their eyes looked at their still body before their eyes looked up at their face, Cairngorm’s lips turning into a frown as they looked at their still gorgeous blue and slightly gold hair that was sprawled around them. “How are you still so beautiful even though you’re gone?” They whispered, looking at their slightly rosy lips before they stroked their face with their shaky thumb before they walked away.

 

They moved to be closer with their sibling, looking down at the ground as they held their sweaty hands together. Their eyes closed as memories of the smiling person that they loved flooded their memory, which was followed by guilt from realizing what they did. It didn’t take much longer before they found themselves starting to cry and let the tears fall down their cheeks. Was it from guilt? Or was it from sadness? They didn’t know… All they knew was that Lapis Lazuli was gone, they were dead..

 

After everyone paid their respects and sat back down in their seats, Padparadscha, Bort, and some others of the stronger gems in the group all lined up to carry out the casket to the hearse. When they were gone, everyone was dismissed by row as they followed the long, black car to the cemetery.

 

There, everyone was quietly, standing there in the rain around the casket that was about to be lowered into the ground. Cairngorm stood next to the whole in the ground and let the rain fall and hit their body as they let Ghost Quartz have the umbrella. They deserved it more than they did after all…

 

The ending of the funeral was brutal, mostly everyone crying from the casket dropping into the ground as they watched yet someone else leave them. Cairngorm bit their lip tightly as they listened to what everyone had to say about what they said about their friend that passed.

 

“ _Lapis was always such a good friend.”_

_”Lapis was always so helpful and kind.”_

_“Lapis was always so pretty and would let me try things on them.”_

_”Lapis was such a great partner and was always so caring.”_

_’ **Lapis was great at keeping secrets and was the best at making sure that their relationship wasn’t found out’**  _Cairngorm thought as they kept their eyes stuck to the wet grass, letting their white hair drop beads of Rain onto the ground.

 

Everyone was scattered when the casket was in the ground and was covered up with dirt. Some people put flowers on the wet dirt, some clung to each other and cried. Some brought up good memories of Lapis, and others stood there and looked at the ground while some people left. Both Cairngorm and Ghost Quartz were apart of the people who stood there and looked at the wet ground. Jade was the one who pulled them back into reality with a gentle tap on the shoulder.

 

“Hey… do you want a ride home?” They asked, their voice gentle and not demanding like it usually is. The twins looked at each other before they gave the older gem a gentle nod, following them and Euclase to their car in silence.

 

When the car stopped, they stayed in their seat as Euclase got out to give Ghost a hug and reassuring words. Jade looked at them in the rear view mirror before they sighed and got out as well, Cairngorm looking at their wet pant leg and got out of the car to go to their sibling.

The car ride to there house had no word exchanges, no one brought up memories or anything— it was just a car ride in silence.

_They had to tell them the truth at some point.._

 

When the couple said their goodbyes to the siblings before they left them alone in their apartment. Cairngorm looked at the ground before they sat down on the couch, avoiding all eye contact with their sibling. It was frightening being alone with Ghost with the secret that they bore. They didn’t want them to know about their relationship with Lapis Lazuli, they didn’t want them to know about it now. Not after their funeral and how their in so much pain.

 

“Hey, Cairn?” Ghost Quartz asked, their voice full of sadness as their voice cracked. They lifted their head to look up at their younger twin, tears running down their red eyes as they let out a shaky sigh. “You were the last one to see Lapis, right?”

 

Cairngorm stiffed at the question, staying still for a while before they started to shake from nervousness and slight fear of what’s to come. “Y-Yea… I did see them before they died..” they muttered softly, biting their lip as they felt their heart starting to beat faster as their hands started to sweat. Their eyes looked at the ground so they could feel guilty from hurting their sibling, closing them tightly.

 

“What.. what were their last words…?”

 

Guilt stabbed them in the chest when those words came out of Ghost’s mouth, their hands sweating more perfusely as they held their hands together. Their eyes shut tightly as they took they a deep breath. “L-Lapis said I love you,” they choked out softly, tears forming in the corners of their eyes as the memory of the Day came into the mind. Their blue hair that flowed as they dashed across the busy street as their hand pushed them back. The beautiful smile that was spread across their rosy pink lips as a single tear ran down their cheek.

 

 ** _”They said I Love you and then they said my name…”_**  Cairngorm repeated softly.

 

“...what?” Ghost said, their eyes widening before they sniffed. It was at this point where Cairngorm lost it, putting their forehead in their shaking hands as they cried.

 

“I’m so sorry, Ghost…” they said in between tears as they sobbed, “I didn’t want to tell you this right now, but the truth is…” they paused, opening their eyes to look at the floor as they got all of their courage to tell their twin the truth.

 

“The truth is that I was in a relationship with Lapis. After I saw you guys together, my jealously got the best of me and.. I made them be in a relationship with me because I was jealous of you. I’m so sorry…” Cairngorm explained briefly, continuing to cry as they begged for forgiveness, but they knew that Ghost wouldn’t forgive them. Who would forgive them after they told them that they stole their partner out of jealously?

 

Excluding Cairngorm’s sobbing, everything in the apartment was silent, the rain fairly audible from the inside. Ghost didn’t say a word, Cairngorm almost forgot they were there with them before they started to walk towards them. It wasn’t long before they saw their feet standing in front of them, their legs shaking from sadness or anger.

 

“So, you killed Lapis?” Ghost Quartz asked their sibling softly, their voice cracking even more as they talked to the younger twin. Cairngorm was quiet, keeping their lips pressed together as they continued to let the tears fall from their eyes, nodding after a moment of silence.

 

“Yea.. I guess that I did kill Lapis in a way..” they muttered, wiping their tears with a hand before they lifted their head to look at their sibling.

 

Ghost was standing over them, their eyes red from crying as tears rolled down their red cheeks. Their lips were pressed together tightly as their body trembled, sniffling as their eye was filled with a mix of sadness and anger. It broke their heart to see them like that, made them feel guilty for not spouting some dumb lie out.

 

Cairngorm opened their mouth to apologize once more, but couldn’t say anything before Ghost raised their hand and slapped them in one swift motion. “I hate you,” they spat angrily, more tears spewing out of their eyes before they bent down to take off their shoe. It wasn’t long before they cried out of anger and started to beat them with their shoe, yelling that they hated them over and over again.

 

Cairngorm just sat there in silence, biting the inside of their lip as they let Ghost beat them with the bottom of their shoe. They deserved it after what they done…

 

“I’m sorry.” They muttered, looking at their twins face before they looked down at their feet so they wouldn’t look them in the eyes. The both of them were quiet for a while before Ghost bent down to take off their other shoe and chucked it at them before they stormed off.

 

“I never want to see your face again.” Ghost Quartz snapped, going to their room and slamming their door shut.

 

Cairngorm stayed where they were, letting the pain spread all over their body before they got up from the couch and went over to Ghosts room. They thought about knocking on their door, but decided not to as they moved to the side, letting out a small string of swear words as they sat down. A sigh came out of their mouth as they rested their head against the wall, listening to their sibling cry of pain as Cairngorm waited patiently for them to come out.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I totally forgot about this story until now.

It all started with Ghost coming to their apartment, and in good mood as they burst into Cairngorm’s room as they tried to nap. “Cairn, guess what?” They said happily, pressing their hands on their bed so it shook to get the other ones attention. Cairngorm tried to ignore their older twin, but with their shaking bed, they couldn’t help letting out an upset moan as they rolled over and looked at their sibling with a frown. 

 

“What do you want?” They asked, sitting up with a tired sigh, their white-ish bangs coming down and covering a part of face. Ghost Quartz hummed happily before they sat down next to their grumpy relative. 

 

“I got into a relationship,” Ghost boasted, their cheeks becoming a soft shade of pink as their eye that wasn’t hidden was wide and shone of happiness. Cairngorm, on the other hand, looked at the other with a frown, blinking once or twice before they exhaled and laid back down. 

 

“Yippee, good for you…” they muttered as they buried their face into their pillow, which was quickly retracted from their grip and was used as a weapon. 

 

“At least pretend to be interested!” Ghost scolded as they hit the grumpy gem with their pillow. 

 

“FIIINE,” Cairngorm groaned, rolling over with a larger frown than before and looked at Ghost with a heavy sigh. “Who is it?” They asked, trying to seem interested in whoever their romantic partner was. 

 

“Lapis Lazuli,” they said simply, the name ringing a small bell in the others head. 

 

“Lapis?” They questioned, lifting up their hand and pushing back their hair to how it usually is, “aren’t they the one who has that dark blue hair and always hangs out in the library?”

 

Ghost nodded with a big smile, “that’s them!” They confirmed, looking at their sibling nod before they started going on about how they met, but Cairngorm wasn’t really paying attention. They weren’t really the person who could consider someone who cared about love or anything. When their annoying friend Phosphophyllite was babbling on about Cinnabar when their relationship kicked off, they usually drifted off into their own world and didn’t really care about it whatsoever. So— like they always do— Cairngorm rested their head on their hand as they looked at Ghost’s nose, occasionally hums to make it seem like they were paying attention to the others love rant. 

 

“....they’re going to be coming over later today-“

 

“Wait, What?” Cairngorm asked, their eyes widening as they lifted their head up to look at their sibling with surprise. Ghost frowned when they realized their twin wasn’t paying attention before they leaned over and flicked their forehead. 

 

“You weren’t listening,” they muttered with sigh, sliding off of their bed and got up, “Lapis is going to be coming over to hang out later today-“

 

Cairngorm let out an over dramatic gasp before they looked down at their lap, “I don’t have any pants on though.” Ghost Quartz sighed before they turned around, opening the drawer and throwing a pair of sweatpants at the other.

 

“Problem solved,” they said with a small smile before they walked out and shut the door behind them. Cairngorm looked at the sweatpants that their sibling threw them, sighing before they set them to the side and laid back down, trying to take their nap again. 

 

The last thing they remembered before they fell asleep was their apartment door opening. 

 

Cairngorm woke up about an hour later to a knock on their door, rolling over sleepily to look at the door. “Whaat?” They called out with a yawn. 

 

“Are you hungry?” Ghost asked as they peeked their head into their twins room. Cairngorm stopped to think for a bit before sitting up with a small nod. 

 

“Yea, I guess I am…” they muttered as they got out of their bed, moving their slightly messy hair out of their face before they slid some pants on. Cairngorm let out a small sigh as they followed their twin outside to their small dining room, pausing and looking at Lapis who was in the dining room. They had on a black sweater with 5 color stripes across their chest with dark blue jeans, their hair put into a nice, slick ponytail.

 

They looked at the blue haired gem in slight awe before they turned and looked at Ghost Quartz next to them. “Lapis is still here?” They muttered quietly. 

 

The other laughed at them a bit as they pat their shoulder with an amused smile, “it’s only been about an hour since they’ve been here, relax a little Cairn,” Ghost explained with the smile still on their lips before they went to go to the other person in their apartment. 

 

Cairngorm bit the inside of their lip slightly as they watched Lapis and their sibling smile at their new partner. Their stomach sank with awkwardness and jealousy from seeing how happy they were together. 

 

Although Cairngorm rarely talked to Lapis or had a full on conversation, they had always admired them from afar. They loved to go to the library for assignments so they could see them smile and listen to their voice. They loved how elegantly their hand moved back their hair and how each strand of the brilliant blue hair moved. 

 

It wasn’t long before the two of them broke apart and Cairngorm sat next to their sibling, feeling a bit overwhelmed to be right in between Ghost and Lapis. They were positioned a bit closer to their sibling rather than they were with Lapis, but it made them feel a bit more comfortable than sitting next to Lapis. It was just hard for Cairngorm to focus on anything if they were sitting close to them. 

 

They didn’t really say much while the three of them were together, just nodding at times and listening to what the two of them were talking about. Ghost tried to bring Cairngorm to converse with them, but he didn’t really talk other than those times. 

 

Lapis Lazuli left when they finished eating, giving Ghost Quartz a big hug and a kiss on the cheek before they left. When they were at the door, they turned around and gave Cairngorm a smile and a wave. “Bye, cairngorm.”

 

“See you..” they replied awkwardly, waving as they gave them a slight smile. Lapis laughed a bit at their reply before they closed the door and left. Cairngorm looked at the door before they let out a small sigh, going to the table where they eating at and helping their twin clean up the table. 

 

“Hey Cairn,” Ghost muttered as they gathered all of the plates up and put them in a pile, “Are you feeling okay?”

 

Cairngorm stopped what they were doing and looked at their sibling curiously, “What do you mean by that?”

 

“You seemed to be more quiet than usual,” Ghost said with a gentle sigh as they walked to their small kitchen, placing the plates in the sink and turning on the water. 

 

The other looked at their sibling as they thought about a simple lie to tell them, “sorry, I didn’t sleep to well and I don’t really know Lapis too well..” they lied, going next to their sibling to put the rest of the dirty dishes next to the sink, “other than that, I’m feeling fine.”

 

Ghost Quartz gave their sibling a questioning look before they exhaled gently and nodding with a small smile. “Alright, hopefully you get some sleep later tonight then.” They said innocently, their eye that wasn’t covered with hair looking at their sibling happily. 

 

The two siblings finished cleaning the dishes together before they put them in the dishwasher (Ghost was quite picky about eating on dirty stuff, so they washed them twice for reassurance) before they both sat on the couch together and watched their favorite show together. When the clock hit 12 am, Ghost got up from their spot on the couch and gave their sibling a big hug before they went to their room. Cairngorm stayed on the couch for a bit longer than usual, letting out a small exhale before they kicked off the throw blanket that was over their legs before they turned off the tv. 

 

They went to their dark bedroom and collapsed onto their bed, laying on the covers for a bit before they let out a heavy sigh and took off their pants lazily. Cairngorm tossed them on their clean ground before they laid back down under the covers and looked up at the ceiling. They pressed their lips together as they sighed, releasing the pressure of their pressed as they closed their eyes and just breathed. A part of them found it surreal that they were that close to Lapis Lazuli, to be that close with them in their own apartment. They opened their lips and exhaled as they opened their eyes once again and rolled over to look at their wall. 

 

They didn’t know how long that they were laying there, but the next thing they knew they were awoken by Ghost, squinting as the bright light from the hallway blinded them. “Get up,” they muttered as they shook the other awake, making Cairngorm flail their arms around so they could stop.

 

“I’m up…” they muttered as they sat up with a big yawn, moving their messy hair out of their face and looked up when they heard their sibling laugh at them. 

 

“Why are you always like this in the morning?” They teased them before they walked out of their room. 

 

“Why are you always so ready in the morning?” Cairngorm grumbled angrily as they threw the covers off of them, pulling open a drawer and pulled out some pants. They walked out of their room with the same shirt they went to sleep in and tiredly stumbled out of their room and to their twin. 

 

Ghost smiled at them before they went over to the other and flicked their head, “because I don’t stay up as late as you do,” they said before they walked past them and went to the kitchen to get something. “I’m going to leave now, make sure that you aren’t late so you don’t have to hear from Jade again today.”

 

Cairngorm let out an angry grumble as the other mentioned the green gem, pulling the throw blanket off of the top of the couch before placing it on their lap. “Where are you going this early in the morning?”

 

“I’m going to go to the cafe a few miles away from school,” Ghost Quartz replied as they grabbed their bag and started to head out of the door. “We share have the same class first hour, so we’re going to study there.”

 

The other let out a hum— as they kept their slightly jealous thoughts to themselves— as they got comfortable on the couch. “Have fun…” they called as they watched their twin leave their apartment, sighing as they looked at the dark tv screen. 

 

Cairngorm stayed where for about a minute or two before they kicked off the blanket on their lap and got to up to get something to eat. They searched their fridge for something for them to eat right then, but they couldn’t find anything appealing to eat so they ended up making something to eat. 

 

While they were in the middle of cooking something (and was surprisingly not burnt), their phone rang from the living room.  Cairngorm stopped what they were doing and stared at their device before they sprinted out of the kitchen and answered it. “Hello?” They asked hurriedly as they walked quickly to the sizzling food on the stove. 

 

“Wow, you’re awake?” Phosphophyllite’s exhausted and somewhat pained voice come from the other side. 

 

Cairngorm scoffed, “Ghost woke me up before they left, I’m surprised that your still alive.”

 

Phos laughed before a few coughs came from them, “it’ll be harder to kill me than this,” they said jokingly and earned a sarcastic hum from the other. “Anyways, What are you doing?”

 

Cairngorm thought about whether or not they should tell the other one the truth “I’m making food, and I’m guessing that you want some?”

 

“How’d you know?” The other asked jokingly, shuffling from the other side of the phone as Cairn assumed that they were getting out of bed. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” They said before the hung up, leaving the other to let out a small sigh as they continued to cook. 

 

After a couple of minutes, there was a knock on the door and the white gem already knew who it was without having to look. They made their way to the door and opened it without greeting the other, making their way back to the kitchen. “Good morning to you, too,” Phosphophyllite replies snarkily, their mouth opening with a large yawn before they closed the door and followed the other. 

 

Cairngorm rolled their eyes before they continued to do what they were doing before the others arrival. “I thought that you didn’t want me to say that to you anymore.”

 

“Since when?”

 

They checked their phone, “since yesterday morning.”

 

Phos hummed as they rested their chin on the palm of their hand, “well, I changed my mind then.”

 

“Of course you would do that.” Cairngorm sighed, turning off the stove and putting what they made on the counter. 

 

The white gem knew Phosphophyllite for literal years, having to guess that it was around freshman year of high school when they first met. Phos was the younger sibling of Lapis Lazuli, being adopted by their family when they were a teenager since their parents died in an accident. 

 

When they met, the teal gem was in a wheelchair and had mechanical arms and they had some scars on their face. In sophomore year, they were out of their wheelchair and their legs were lined with multiple scars. They stayed the same until freshman year of college where their hair matched their older siblings and their right eye was white and couldn’t see out of it from yet another accident during the summer. 

 

Cairngorm and Phos’ relationship also changed frequently changed titles during the time that they knew them. It was friends for the longest time, before it changed to best friends and then upgraded to friends with benefits. And then once Rutile informed them that ‘friends with benefits’ don’t having sex multiple times a month, their relationship upgraded to fuck buddies. And then they both agreed that they were dating when Phos’ parents asked what they were and neither wanted to say fuck buddie. Then their title went back to friends after they just drifted apart from each other and didn’t have the time to date anymore. 

 

The white gem looked at the other literally shove food into their mouth and let out small hums of happiness as they ate. Cairngorm grabbed a fork before they started to eat with the other, their grey eyes looking at Phos curiously. “What did you do last night?”

 

“Nothing really,” They replied, putting their utensil down and looked at the other. “For most of the night, I just mostly sat on Cinnabar’s balcony and smoked whatever I had left while drinking with them.” 

 

“I’m still somewhat surprised that you guys are still dating.”

 

“Is it really that surprising?”

 

“Yes, it is surprising.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

Cairngorm sighed as they looked at them with a frown, “do I have to explain it to you?”

 

Phosphophyllite smiled at them slyly before they shrugged, “and do I look like I’m smart enough to figure that out by myself.”

 

The white gem’s frown grew while looking at the smug face of the other, a loud groan leaving their lips. “First off, you’re too demanding.”

 

“Okay…”

 

“And you’re either drunk or high all the time.”

 

“And?”

 

“You’re extremely lazy, never do any of your work, rely on other work-“

 

“I feel like you’re just insulting me.” 

 

“Because I am,” Cairngorm said with a frown, a grunt leaving their lips as a spoon was chucked at their forehead by the other. 

 

“What does insulting me have to do with the topic at hand!?” Phosphophyllite yelled angrily, their slightly puffed out cheeks turning red. 

 

“Because you guys are the complete opposite.”

 

“No, we’re not! Cinnabar doesn’t do shit all day and drinks all the time.”

 

“And? At least they have better grades than you probably.”

 

“So? It’s not you could as a teacher to figure it out for yourself.”

 

“I could as Rutile.”

 

“You know for a fact that Rutile doesn’t give two shits about what anyone’s grades are.”

 

“Ah, I guess that’s true.”

 

“You guess?” 

 

Cairngorm scoffed as they shook their head, letting out a sigh as they weren’t sure whether to be annoyed from their childish acts or used to it. “What are you doing later today?”

 

Phos shrugged, “nothing really. I don’t have class until the afternoon, so I’m probably going to take a nap until then.”

 

“Then why did you come all the way over here?”

 

“Who said that I was going back home?”

 

The white gem looked at the other with a large frown as they looked at their smug face, “just don’t go messing thing up.”

 

They immediately regretted those words leaving their mouth when they saw their lips curve up in a sly smile. “Oh? You’re trusting me with your privacy.”

 

“What? I mean it’s not like there isn’t anything that you haven’t seen.”

 

“How do you know? There might be something that you’ve been hiding something that I may uncover. Like what if-“

 

“You won’t find anything.” Cairngorm said with a frown as they threw a crumpled napkin at their way. 

 

“I’ll find something,” Phosphophyllite threw the ball back of them, fixing their messed up banged with their fingers before resting their chin on their metal arm. They grabbed their phone and checked the time before they looked at the the time. “What time do you have to get to class?”

 

“8:30, why?”

 

The blue haired gem grabbed the sides of their device to show them the time, “its 8.”

 

The older gem let out a heavy sigh as they quickly left the room and went to go get their stuff, messily shoving loose papers, binders, and notebooks into their bag. “See you later,” Cairngorm called to the the other, watching them wave at them. 

 

“I’d run if I were you.” Pho’s called, giving them a small smile before they went back to focusing on their own stuff. 


End file.
